The Niger State Police Command has arrested a 16-year-old boy and three other suspects in connection with alleged drug-related offences, kidnapping and armed robbery across different parts of the state.
The arrests were confirmed in a statement issued on Sunday by the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Wasiu Abiodun.
According to the statement, the teenage suspect was arrested on January 8, 2026, at about 10.30 p.m. in the Kantoma area of Suleja following reports that suspected hoodlums were operating in the neighbourhood.
Abiodun said information received by the police indicated that some youths were sighted in the area smoking suspected cannabis, prompting operatives attached to the ‘B’ Division in Suleja to mobilise to the scene.
“On sighting the police team, the hoodlums took to their heels, but one Usman Aliyu, 16 years, was arrested within the area,” the statement said.
The police spokesperson disclosed that the suspect was found with four cutlasses, one jackknife and six sachets of suspected illicit tablets.
He added that during interrogation, the suspect confessed to selling the drugs to different persons within the area.
“The suspect admitted that he had been selling the drugs to different persons in the area,” Abiodun stated, adding that the teenager was subsequently arraigned in court after investigation.
The command also announced the arrest of three other suspects over alleged kidnapping and armed robbery activities.
According to the statement, police operatives of the Force Intelligence Department Special Tactical Squad arrested Mamman Bello, 18, Ibrahim Adamu, 20, and Umar Abubakar, 25, on January 16, 2026, following a tip-off.
Abiodun said Bello and Adamu were arrested in Ilorin, Kwara State, after intelligence revealed that suspected kidnappers had relocated from Niger State to a forest in Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State.
“During interrogation, it was revealed that Ibrahim joined the group from Beji, while Bello joined from Ogbomosho, and both confessed to their involvement in different kidnapping activities within the state,” the statement said.
The police added that the suspects were planning to abduct another victim before they were arrested and are currently undergoing further investigation.
On the arrest of Umar Abubakar, the command said he was apprehended in Garatu over his involvement in an armed robbery incident in Beji.
“He confessed to the crime and mentioned others as Wode, Black, Moh’d and one other person,” Abiodun said.
The statement further disclosed that the suspects sold a stolen motorcycle for the sum of six hundred thousand naira at Tunga Mallam and shared the proceeds, noting that efforts were ongoing to arrest other members of the gang still at large.
The Niger State Police Command reiterated its commitment to sustaining the fight against criminal activities in the state and urged residents to continue to provide timely and credible information to security agencies.
